WOMEN from a teachers union have held a unique protest against education cuts.
Members from National Education Union (NEU) gathered at the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast city centre with a washing line to represent women and the 'dirty laundry' impact of education cuts.
With 77 per cent of the teaching profession female, they are encouraging women to join them to show how £440 million in education cuts would damage children, the education system and specifically women workers.
Charlotte Carson, SDLP Oldpark candidate in the upcoming Belfast City Council election is also a teacher at a North Belfast school said that teachers deeply regretted having to take strike action on Wednesday.
Ms Carson said: “I don’t know a single teacher who wouldn’t prefer to spend today in their classroom educating their pupils, but after years of fighting for fair pay and working conditions, our concerns are still being ignored and we have been left with no other choice but to take to the picket line.
Women make up 77% of NI education workforce - the budget cuts and pay stagnation affect women more. Don’t stay home on strike day! Join us for 3 x workshops on menopause, job interviews & challenging sexism in school - and hang out the dirty linen of education cuts in public! pic.twitter.com/njx86bIA7s
— Charlotte Carson (@charlottecarso1) April 24, 2023
“We are not asking for the earth, we have seen a massive decrease in real terms pay over the last decade and this is particularly galling when you consider that teachers here are paid considerably less than in Britain and the South.
"The current situation is putting people off entering the profession and unless we address it we will struggle to recruit the numbers necessary in future to maintain our education system which is already under severe pressure.
“It’s deeply regrettable that schools have had to close and our young people missing a day of education. The blame for this disruption lies with employers and the Department of Education who have repeatedly failed to recognise the contribution that teachers make.
"That all five teaching unions stand together on this shows the strength of feeling on this issue, staff across our education system are united and I would urge fresh negotiations to begin with unions to acknowledge the difficult situation many teachers are facing, and to reach a fair pay agreement so that we can get back into our classrooms and get on with our jobs.”
